


pure phrase

by cosmiickatie



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Not Beta Read, based off pure phrase's lyrics, i also wrote this in literally 45 minutes, this is mostly a character study tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29975436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmiickatie/pseuds/cosmiickatie
Summary: "Hey, if I hadn't magically met youI wouldn't be the me I am today!That would be lonelyFrom now on, I want to convey it through a songBut in more of a secret wayLike a pure phrase that was just born in my heart"
Relationships: Sakurauchi Riko/Takami Chika
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	pure phrase

Riko had long ago accepted that she was, quite simply, _normal_.

She’d never quite been a stranger to mediocrity. It followed her everywhere she went, refusing to leave her side no matter how hard she tried to shake it. As a child, those average looks, grades, and even traits had been irrelevant to her youthful and wondrous ambitions, but now, they had turned into an unshakable curse that seemed to be as prevalent as her own shadow. Knowing that her own disgustingly ordinary self wouldn’t disappear anytime soon, she’d given up trying to change it. Her efforts turned out to be meaningless every single time.

So she’d ignored that little voice in the back of her mind. The one that begged and pleaded for her to take another look at the scenery she’d longed for. Scenery that she’d once believed could someday fan out in front of her, bright and hopeful and full of the most remarkable and fantastic dreams one could ever think of. Scenery that brought all the broken fragments of her desires to fruition and allowed her to reach out and grasp them. Scenery that broke her out of the curse of mediocrity.

It was nothing but a fantasy. Something that she would never be able to reach, especially not after she failed at the _one_ thing she had ever been able to consider herself somewhat talented at. No, not anymore. Those fantasies were long gone.

The scenery slipped out of reach.

But then, somehow, those lost dreams returned in a tsunami of emotions. All of the dreams she’d abandoned in favor of the average were back, as if they’d never even left in the first place. And Riko wasn’t sure what confused her more — the fact that they’d reappeared after so long in the first place, or the fact that they’d been brought back by _one_ single girl.

Chika Takami was an odd case, to say the least. Despite all the different girls she’d met throughout her childhood in Tokyo, of whom could range from the strictest girls in the country all the way to the most outgoing, Riko could confidently say she had never met someone quite as eccentric as Chika. Such infectious optimism was refreshing. Most girls she’d met during her short time at Otonokizaka had been too stressed about their ever-looming futures to focus on dedicating their time to simply having fun. Someone like Chika, who wished to shine so badly that she would smile straight into the future’s terrifying face without a trace of hesitation or concern, made Riko want to try her best, too. Through the tears, the anger, the fear, the _everything_ , Riko longed to look ahead right with Chika.

It was strange, trying to believe in something so beautiful and shiny.

But, as time went on, as Aqours progressed, as the tears and the smiles came and went, Riko found herself becoming more and more okay with the idea. The her that had stayed locked inside a dark, lonely, empty shell for so long was growing restless. Being by Chika’s side was different. When they were together, Riko always thought the world shone a bit brighter.

What would it have been like, she always wondered, if she had never met Chika? If that one fateful day of her diving headfirst like an idiot into the frigid waters of Uchiura had never come? If Chika had never told her about school idols, or her resilient desire to shine? Riko wasn’t sure, but she knew one thing for certain: she wouldn’t be the _her_ she was today.

She wished to tell Chika. But Riko knew she was awkward. She hadn’t always been the best with conveying her feelings through verbal communication. She usually stuttered too much, and lost every thought she’d been _meaning_ to say. Expressing something as important as her unshakable, pure gratitude towards the girl who’d changed her life would definitely leave her a stammering, blushing mess.

So Riko kept it to herself. Someday she’d tell Chika. She wanted to.

_She really,_ really _wanted to._

* * *

“Chika-chan.”

Riko hadn’t expected to hear her own voice come out so… soft. So _vulnerable_ . There was no reason for it to. This wasn’t weird. It was just a song. A song that _definitely_ had no underlying meaning to it at all.

From where she was sprawled out across Riko’s bed with dozens of crumpled papers surrounding her, Chika tore her eyes away from her notebook. Riko could tell she was grateful for the distraction.

“Hm?”

Riko’s eyes flitted about the room, not sure where she should look. Meeting Chika’s eyes made her blush too hard. Looking at the ceiling would make her look unsure. Staring at the floor would make her look insecure. Finally, they settled on the piano. “I think I might have… a melody worked out.”

“Really?!” Chika’s previous frustration dissipated. Excited, she sat up, and Riko hesitantly looked at her again. “That was fast, Riko-chan! We haven’t even been working for that long!” She picked up the nearest wad of paper and tossed it to the ceiling. It landed unceremoniously next to her. “I’ve gotten nowhere with these lyrics.”

“...Well, actually…” And then Chika’s eyes were back on her and Riko felt herself blushing again. “I’ve been working on this for a while,” she admitted. “I was playing around with some ideas.” She stood up, choosing to distract herself with the effort it took to walk over to the piano rather than focus on whatever words spilled out of her mouth next. “Do you… want to hear it?”

Why _did she say that_?

Chika’s eyes were alight with curious wonder. “Of course!” As if sensing Riko’s insecurities, she added, “I’m sure it’s wonderful, Riko-chan!”

That was odd. Riko’s hands were shaking as she settled into her piano seat. They hadn’t done that since before she’d joined Aqours. In fact, her entire body felt clammy as she opened the piano cover. She forced a smile onto her face anyways. “Th-thank you. A-actually, Chika-chan, this song… I wrote it for you.”

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_.

“For me?”

Riko ignored her own thoughts and nodded. Without another word, she rested her fingers on the keys. With a single, deep breath, she pressed down and played. In an instant, the melody filled the room, strong and sweet — a drastic contrast to the gentle mumble that was Riko’s voice as she recited the half-finished lyrics. For a moment, it was easy for her to forget that she was spilling her heart out, expressing the feelings which she’d been too cowardly to approach for so many months now. As long as Chika was there to listen, and as long as she got the feelings out somehow, Riko almost didn’t care how embarrassing it all was. _Almost_.

Silence settled over the room when the song finished. Riko slowly removed her hands from the keys and released another breath. Despite feeling like the weight of the entire world had been lifted from her shoulders, Riko’s hands were still shaky and uncertain. With bated breath, she waited.

“...That was beautiful, Riko-chan.”

She slowly lifted her head. Chika’s face greeted her view, and the earnest, touched smile resting there sent a flutter throughout Riko’s chest.

“You really think so?”

“Of course!” Chika stood from the bed and bounded towards the piano. Enthusiastically, she scooped Riko’s hands into her own, grinning as brightly as the sun itself. “You really wrote all of that just for me? It was incredible!”

Riko allowed herself to be brave enough to stare right into Chika’s eyes this time. For that brief moment, Riko could have sworn she saw her long-forgotten scenery sparkling within them. She could see those wondrous, fantastic, _beautiful_ fragments, glimmering like stars against an endless night sky. The world she’d envisioned… it was right there. It was vast, and it was incredible, but for once, Riko wasn’t afraid. She wanted to jump headfirst into it without an ounce of hesitation there to betray her.

She laughed. “Thank you, Chika-chan.”

Chika tilted her head, confused. “For what?”

Riko’s hands squeezed Chika’s tighter. “For being you.”

Chika seemed content enough with that answer. She smiled warmly, eyes glittering with that familiar hope.

Riko blinked, and her scenery burst to life around her.

**Author's Note:**

> as i said in the tags i literally wrote this in 45 minutes and did it instead of sleeping so i don't really like it lol i think it's a mess but it would have sat in my drafts for literally forever if i didn't post it so i figured why not. i really love pure phrase and think the lyrics are 1000% riko singing to chika so i wanted to write something based around that concept because i love them very much!!


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